Lois Lamya al-Faruqi
Lois Lamya al-Faruqi was an American scholar and expert on Islamic art and music. She made contributions to the field of ethnomusicology, particularly in the study of Islamic musical culture, and co-authored the work The Cultural Atlas of Islam with her husband, Ismail al-Faruqi.
Early life and education
Lois Lamya al-Faruqi was born in 1927 in Plentywood, Montana to Fred Ibsen and Rachel Ibsen, who were Danish and Norwegian immigrants, respectively. She graduated from the University of Montana in 1948 with a degree in music, where she studied piano. She then attended Indiana University, receiving an M.A. in music in 1949. During this period, she met and married Ismail Raji al-Faruqi. She taught at Butler University for three years before focusing on Islamic studies. She continued her education at McGill University and later obtained her Ph.D. in humanities from Syracuse University with a thesis entitled The Nature of the Musical Art of Islamic Culture: A Theoretical and Empirical Study of Arabian Music.Professional and academic contributions
Lois Lamya al-Faruqi held positions as an adjunct professor at Temple University and Villanova University from 1977 onwards. She was actively involved in the Society for Ethnomusicology, serving on various committees, including as president and program chairman of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter.Areas of expertise
Lois Lamya al-Faruqi focused on Islamic musical culture. Her research included topics such as Arabic music, the role of music in Islamic culture, and the relationship between music and religious practices.Major publications
She authored several works, including The Cultural Atlas of Islam, co-authored with her husband, Ismail Raji al-Faruqi, and published posthumously by Macmillan. This book is a comprehensive resource on Islam's cultural and historical aspects, including its artistic expressions.Scholarly contributions
Lois Lamya al-Faruqi's scholarly contributions include numerous articles and papers exploring various aspects of music, Islamic art, and culture. Her Ph.D. dissertation, "The Nature of the Musical Art of Islamic Culture: A Theoretical and Empirical Study of Arabian Music," provided an analysis of Arabian music, combining theoretical perspectives with empirical research.She focused on articulating an Islamic perspective on music and examining Muslim musical practices. Her contributions in this area include An Annotated Glossary of Arabic Musical Terms, a resource for scholars studying Arabic music, and several articles on the role of music in Islamic societies.